I’m sorry I missed your previous deliberations, as I just came back from a mission to Italy and Malta, precisely on the rights of migrants at the external borders of the EU. I hope not to repeat too much what has already been said.

My main conclusion is that, if we are to witness a significant decrease of deaths and suffering at borders, we must bank, not on strict closure and repression, but on regulated openness and mobility.

Migrants come due to push factors – conflict, natural disasters, persecution or poverty –, which are particularly strong at present due to the crises in Syria and the horn of Africa. They also come due to pull factors such as the unrecognized cheap labour needs of destination States, especially in construction, agriculture, hospitality or care-giving. None of these factors are likely to decrease in the foreseeable future.